Public Goals
Through my interview with Jimmy, I found that the public goals of the Army ROTC can be found on goarmy.com and would be considered their mission statement. Though each college has its own program, they all have a common goal and purpose - to create and train elite leaders so that they can be successful both in the army, and in other job professions.
“…The college elective for undergraduate and graduate students that provides unrivalled leadership training for success in any career field. If you have a passion for it, you can find a place to fit in the Army as an officer and get the training you need to turn that passion into a career” (Army ROTC – Way to Attend).
Mechanisms of Intercommunication
Their mechanisms of intercommunication are face-to-face communication, emails that the MS3’s (basically the guys in charge) send to the different platoons to prepare them for the upcoming week and provide them with information. This information isn’t just a one-way street; the platoons every week provide feedback for the officers. This feedback is called an AAR (after action report), which is done every Thursday after the members finish their lab.
Participatory Mechanisms
The Army ROTC has participatory mechanisms which would be considered the AARs. These allow for communication to flow between the cadets and their officers.
Utilizes and Possesses Genres
The Army ROTC also has different genres that posses, such as the army handbook, cue cards that help identify IED’s (improvised explosive devices) as well as the rules of engagement – which pretty much tells the soldiers when they can encounter and enemy, and how they should encounter them.
Acquired Specific Lexis
The lexis that are associated with the Army ROTC are many different acronyms and terms, such as: PC (patrol cap), about face (command for them to turn around), ACU (Army Combat Uniform) and many others. To outsiders, these terms mean absolutely nothing, but to Jimmy and other ROTC members these terms can be the difference between turning left, turning right, or even shooting.
Threshold of Members
The Army, as most of us are familiar with, have different ranks. These ranks are reached after years in ROTC. Even though cadets can advance in rank, their platoons while in college are unchangeable, when you’re a part of a platoon, you’re part of it for the rest of college. This type of organization is important because the ROTC is a very structured leadership program and in order to create a “family” feel – as needed in the Army – they train them very similarly.